There
is no one easy answer to chimney fires, as
many situations are different. Flue fires in
a real, brick chimney are a real problem, as
the draft controls necessary to shut off the
flow of oxygen to the chimney are simply not
present, and the mortar between the bricks
could be old and cracked.

Generally, in the case of the brick
chimney flue fire, the easiest way to put out
the fire is to throw a glass of water
directly on the fire: the water will flash
into steam, rise up the chimney and inhibit
oxygen, and snuff out the fire. Sometimes a
second glass of water is needed, but not
often. (Note: The steam can damage a
chimney and it must then be inspected before
use.) Some people have reported success in
putting out chimney flue fires with a mug or
drinking glass full of salt thrown on the
wood, but I have not tried
this.

Airtight stoves and tight fitting,
stainless steel, insulated stove pipe are a
different matter entirely. Due to the nature
of the stoves (particularly if they have an
automatic draft control for temperature
regulation) they WILL build up a layer of
creosote in the chimney, and that creosote
WILL burn. If a flue fire gets started in an
airtight stove, a small glass of water thrown
on the fire will flash to steam and inhibit
the flue fire, BUT it may also severely
damage the stove: glass doors can break, the
steel or cast iron may not be able to adjust
to the temperature difference and crack,
etc.

Everyone with an airtight stove should
have their own chimney cleaning brush and
rod, and then plan on inducing a controlled
chimney flue fire once a month. The use of
dried potato peels or newspaper -- but
absolutely no wood! -- will raise the
temperature of the flue sufficiently to
induce a controlled "burn" that is simply a
flash of heat in the chimney. A chimney
temperature gauge should be on the stovepipe
about 5 feet above the stove (if possible)
and when the temperature reaches about 500
degrees, all dampers should be shut down and
the fire starved of fuel and oxygen. The
residual oxygen in the stove will keep the
fire going until the temperature reaches 550
degrees or so, the go out and rapidly cool
down. The dampers may then be open to induce
a flush of cool air through the pipe, so it
cools down faster -- in a half hour the pipe
will be just slightly warm to the
touch.

What
the controlled flue fire does is convert the
gooey, tar-like creosote into a fluffy carbon
deposit that DOES NOT adhere to the walls of
the stove pipe. One stroke with the chimney
cleaning brush produces huge flakes of fluffy
carbonized creosote that will fall down into
the stove, where it can be easily
removed.

We
heated exclusively with wood using the same
stove and stove pipe for twelve years, and
once a month in the heating season I would
induce a flue fire (on a day it wasn't
raining), wait an hour, then go up on the
roof and stroke the stove pipe with the
cleaning brush (a brass brush, not a plastic
one). This regular cleaning stops the
creosote build up at a certain point, removes
it cleanly, and prevents a super,
uncontrolled flue fire that can be
dangerous.

Now
that my back is really bad and we heat with
kerosene space heaters, we only need to use
the wood stove as a back up heat source for
an occasional fire. That does not mean I can
ignore the chimney, though! All it
means is that I have to clean the chimney
less often.

NOTE: Words have a precise
meaning. Waiting until a chimney is so
clogged with creosote to induce a chimney
fire is dangerous. Creosote is
gummy, and the recommendation that chimneys
only be cleaned with a plastic bristle brush
means the goo is simply inconvenienced a
little - an unintentional chimney fire is
almost guaranteed. Similarly, a
statement of "let a professional handle it"
ignores the many people who simply cannot
afford to hire a professional chimney sweep,
and we all know that those stoves and a badly
creosoted chimney will still be
used.

Added
Dec. 9, 2010. It is better to
help prevent a creosote buildup than have a
chimney fire, of course. Burning
hardwood is better than burning
softwood. Douglas fir is one of the
worst woods to burn because of creosote
buildup. Many people burn what they can
get, of course, from downed limbs, trees, or
even driftwood. I burned downed trees
from various sources for decades, and of
course there is no choice then as to hardwood
versus softwood - you take what is
free.

To help prevent creosote buildup I have
been testing a new product called "Timburn
Firestarter with their patent pending
"HomeSafer Chimney Formula." No
product can totally eliminate creosote
buildup, but Timburn Firestarter does seem to
slow the formation of creosote
significantly. As with any
product, be sure to follow the directions
carefully. It is designed to be used
when starting a fire, NOT when adding wood to
an existing fire.http://www.timburn.com/products

NOTICE OF A DIFFERENT OPINION ON CHIMNEY
CLEANING

December 21, 2007

Cleaning the chimney
serving a stove by having a "controlled burn"
is extremely dangerous and could easily cause
a house fire. This is NOT recommended by the
National Fire Protection Association, the
Chimney Safety Institute, or the Midwest
Chimney Safety Council. What IS recommended
is an annual or twice-annual inspection and
sweeping by a professional, CSIA Certified
Chimney Sweep or at the very least, sweeping
it yourself once a month and having an
inspection by a professional once a year who
is trained to see dangerous damages. The idea
is to avoid chimney fires altogether, which
can and do cause internal damages to chimneys
making them unsuitable for further use. A
second fire may very well escape the chimney
and spread to the rest of the house. What
this person is saying is very irresponsible
and could cause loss of property and life if
people take his/her advise.

For more information please visit
www.midwestcsc.org, www.csia.org, or
www.nfpa.org.

NOTICE: Chimney fires,
flue fires, are dangerous. No matter
what you do or how you do it, flue fires can
still occur. No once accepts liability
for the actions of others (including
"professionals"), and in the case of wood
stoves and chimneys attached thereto you are
on your own and must use discretion and care
in the use of a wood stove.